Blues boss Phil Davies admitted Williams had been training like a maniac and all the frustration that must have built up inside him over the past couple of months came pouring out.

He produced a man-of-the-match performance, scoring one superb individual try and setting up another to guide his team to their first Heineken victory of the season.

The energy, incisiveness and ability to make a searing break which first got him into the national set-up in 2011 was there for all to see once again.

With the Six Nations just around the corner, it was a timely reminder of what he is capable of and just the kind of option Wales could do with as back-up to Phillips.

Williams was understandably a lot happier at the end of the game than he had been the previous time he left the Arms Park pitch, following his red card against Montpellier.

“It was a bit premature the last time I came off!” he quipped.

“I didn’t know what to do with myself in the changing room.

“There was a lot of relief coming off the field on this occasion.”

Reflecting on his time out suspended, he admitted: “It’s been frustrating, especially when there have been a lot of other cases in the last five weeks.

“There’s been a bit of debate about whether the ban was a bit harsh. In my opinion, it was, but there we are.

“It was one of those things I couldn’t control. I just had to get on with it.

“I made the most of it and worked on my fitness and my skill levels.”

That work certainly paid off as the eight-cap Williams produced a vibrant display to lay down a marker for Wales caretaker coach Rob Howley.

“It was nice to get a full 80 minutes under my belt. I needed that,” he said.

“I was pleased with my individual performance.

“I think it was just five weeks of rest! I had fresh legs to be honest.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the game and I was happy with the way it went going into the Six Nations campaign.

“But I was third choice in the autumn, so I’m going to have to fight like hell over the next couple of weeks to try and knock people off the pecking order.

“Places are hard to come by in the Welsh team and I’m going to have to train very hard to try and get in the match-day 23.”

Williams wasn’t the only Six Nations squad member to shine during a game made possible by a herculean effort from both ground staff and volunteer supporters who cleared a mountain of snow off the Arms Park pitch.

Uncapped flanker Josh Navidi was a study in perpetual motion as he lived up to the impeccable standards he has set this season, while Jamie Roberts proved a real handful in midfield.

Admittedly, Roberts did ignore a two-man overlap in the first half, but, overall, it was a big display from the Lions centre in both attack and defence, the third in a row he has produced for the Blues since returning from the arm injury he sustained in the final autumn Test against Australia.

There was also 16 points from the boot of fellow Wales star Leigh Halfpenny, with one 45-metre angled penalty out of the mud near the left-hand touchline a magnificent strike.

But it was Williams who really stole the show.

Having turned around 9-7 up thanks to Halfpenny’s boot, the Blues promptly found themselves behind when Sale prop Aston Croall added a close-range try to the one claimed by his front-row colleague Tommy Taylor equally early in the first half.

That was the cue for Williams to take centre stage as he responded straight away with a classic scrum-half solo effort.

From the base of a ruck, he broke away and chipped over wing Charlie Amesbury, winning the race to the ball as he slid in and rolled over the line to score.

The Blues then had to weather a sustained period of Sale pressure, with their defence holding firm, ahead of Williams creating the score that sealed the win.

Tidying up bad ball from a lineout, he escaped down the left-hand touchline, showing pace to match his vision, before popping the inside scoring pass to replacement lock Michael Paterson.

Having lost their first five pool matches, it was a satisfying way for the Blues to end their Heineken campaign for another year, even if they were up against a largely second-string Sale side.

It’s not enough to retain their status as top seeds, which could mean them having a tougher Euro draw next season, but they will have been relieved to have avoided a group whitewash.

“It was very important for us as a team to get the victory,” acknowledged Williams. “We have been getting better the past month and I think that showed again.

“It shows we are developing and getting a lot of confidence along the way.

“I felt like we gave something back to the fans because they have supported us throughout the campaign. It was important to do that.

“Sale came down and gave us a hell of a game. They played very well.

“We were under the pump for a lot of the second half.

“We spent a lot of it in our 22 and we had to defend very hard.

“We were in a lot of trouble in that second half and we did really well to come out of it. We managed to rescue it and we were all really pleased in the dressing room to get the victory.

“We haven’t had the rub of the green in the Heineken Cup this season and we are just very pleased things came together for our last game and we can take this on now.”

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